Ugly Head-Fighting Back? A New Perspective..

Today the world is seeing Syrians fleeing their homeland going in numbers to Europe and with it will bring fresh problems which if not contained will escalate into race and racial divides. Its a very thin line and the immigrants or refugees will have no fear whatsoever as they have crossed the harshest of terrain and even faced the FEAR which many of us have not even know what it is.

In Malaysia race/religion/racial have reached fever pitched with BERSIH4 and today the RED RALLY which if not properly checked, will only worsen as each NGO groups are trying to outwit and outdoeach other to gain popularity or making a statement which will have very NEGATIVE PERCEPTION to the outside world in particular foreign investments. Foreign investments pulling out from an instable country and economy besieged with problems will mean loss of jobs and the economy will be affected.

The Prime Minister Najib and his Prime Ministers team are giving positive vibes and this PERCEPTION which “PM says it is not right when political opponents stir up hatred against a democratically-elected government by spreading lies and making false allegations” will only mean more good than harm.

PM strongly worded statement will score him points,”“We have seen the blood on the streets. We have seen the burning shops, but let me say this – I will never allow that to happen in Malaysia. The peace and security of the nation is my government’s top priority,”

First posted May 18th 2008….

In 1977 when I left for England I thought it was for the better. Education! Rat Race! It’s any young persons dream of acquiring the necessary knowledge and thus putting him in a better commanding position for job prospects. Unknowingly I stepped into the world of education at the worst of times in the United Kingdom. Why…?

The influx of ten of thousands of Asian immigrants and the Pursuit of Higher Education were mainly by Asian and Middle Eastern origins. It was also a time when there was deep depression and jobs were hard to come by. Council housing areas were breeding grounds for hate,racist overtones and Asian bashing movements. I was among the very few of Asian students about 10 of us from different countries in a school of around 800 co-ed students. Sure I was called different names i.e. Chinky! Prawn Balls! Sliteyes! Yellow Skin! Wild man of Borneo! and to top it up there is usually a flavouring like Chinky..Go Home or Wild man of Borneo..Go back to your jungle.

Little did i know this was also racial education for me. It is only fair as they were protecting their territorial rights i.e. their highly acclaimed education system. As a matter of fact i thought at that time they have colonised us and why can’t we as servants come to the house of our masters to learn? If that is so simple they would not be any racist feelings anywhere in the world. I also had first hand experience on the Guildford, Brixton,Greater Manchester riots of the 80’s where the whole Paki-Bashing and Whites rule was at its peak.Sad but after experiencing all this happenings the people of UK have become “More Tolerant.” Even Her Majesty’s Metropoliton Police Force was transformed to being more “People Friendly” and it was an really an eye-opener for British politicians and Law-makers.

8 years (1977-1985) of living in a world of uncertainty and having the privilege to stay together with an Englishmen,Welsh,Irish,Jew, Black Muslim and Scottish in the same house for 3 years does help me in tackling this ugly head we call “Racism.”

Former Prime Minister of Malaysia Tun Dr.Mahathir put it nicely,” one should be loyal to the religion, the race and the country.” If you want to read more http://themalaysianinsider.com/there are so much racial undertones in his recent address at a gathering where he warned that they ‘Malays” stood to lose much in the new political environment where the non-Malays were unafraid to make demands. He continued by saying that if they choose to keep quiet,don’t speak up,other races will take over.

“Ugly Head“. I don’t think so at this instance as when a former MP Jawah Gerang(Lubok Antu) told me specifically If I don’t speak for the Ibans in my constituency who would? I cannot speak for the Indians as there are none. So of course when I go to Parliament I speak for my people. It’s call to me, fighting back for the people who put him there and he was a 5 term Member of Parliament. Whoever and whatever anyone calls him I have the greatest respect for this former MP for he has served his term and electorate well.

A former Gerakan Wanita Chief Datuk Rhina Bhar cited racial Lines in the party for her quitting Gerakan. I was quite taken aback and I called one of the leaders of Gerakan up in Penang and he said’ She has served her bests and she is past her bests”. Obviously some grassroots leaders in Gerakan and MCA has voiced their concerns over their disastrous showing in the march 2008 elections and they are quick to point out that both these parties are Chinese-based Parties.

The concept of Gerakan is multi-racial but the majority is still Chinese. It goes without saying Parti Rakayat Sarawak which was in the headlines for too long and for many reasons is predominantly an Iban based party. An elected Sarawak Assemblymen once commented ,”The party might have the concept of multi-racial but it is the majority that rules” and this is very true of SPDP,SUPP and PRS Parties in Sarawak. The people’s interest comes first and that is what they need to do to be retained as elected representatives in the coming terms. Sometimes the parties takes the racial lines and we know its for that particular instance and time only.

Racism is not only calling names or marginalisation but it goes beyond that. My better half did comment to me that sometimes subconciously we forget that we are really ‘racist”. It only needs to be checked and tolerated. The more our younger people are given the oppurtunities to study abroad,live and experience it in a foreign country the less the ugly head will emerge. Our system provides us with the avenues to fight back and we must always believe that we were created as no better than the person standing next to us.

To me racial lines,racial overtones,also racial “spat” and practically a “fist in your face to prove your racial superiority” is a way back in time and the fight back for everyone has just begun…Happy Gawai to all my Dayak Friends.

Thank goodness, those who utter racist remarks belong to a very small group, not even what I would call the minority.They do so ,if they are politics, because they are pushed to a corner or they are so obessed by deep hatred for a certain member(s) of another race after being insulted or because of outsiders’ perception of what their kind are like, which is usually not true at all.When you utter a racist remark you will be remembered for a long time. Two individuals did that, one a politician who did that many years ago, and the very people he thought he was championing rejected him so many times at the polls. Blame it on money politics? The other is one of the local politicians who think his kind no longer need other races to help them advance economically. He doesn’t know what he is talking about? His politics lacks the finese or touch of touch. There is surely a better word for cultural arrogance. Antho- centurian?

Thank goodness, those who utter racist remarks belong to a very small group, not even what I would call the minority.They do so ,if they are in politics, either because they are pushed to a corner or they are so obsessed by deep personal hatred for a certain member(s) of another race after being insulted or because of outsiders’ general perception of what their kind are like, which is usually not true at all.When you utter a racist remark you will be remembered for a long time. Two individuals did that, one a politician who did that many years ago, and the very people he thought he was championing rejected him so many times at the polls. Blame it on money politics? The other is a local politician who thinks his kind no longer need other races to help them advance economically. He doesn’t know what he is talking about. His politics lacks the finese or touch of touch. There is surely a better word for cultural arrogance. Antho- centurian?

Racism should be left deep in the dark waters. But unfortunately it happens everywhere. Yes, I agree it is a matter of educating the generations. It is afterall a vicious cycle & we will never be able to completely banish this disease.
Kudos to the author for daring enough in bringing his thoughts in writing.

You do not need to go as far as UK to experience racism. 21 of us recently just came back from West Malaysia to be educated in one of the country’s top universities have a lot of stories to tell which are related to the matter. Funny that we were called “bunch of students from overseas” in the campus. People obviously did not consider us as part of Malaysia. Sarawakians and Sabahans in that particular university are minorities. How would you feel when West Malaysians greet you “Welcome to Malaysia!” the moment you step into your campus? Not only we felt insulted, but it also reflected the attitudes of those living in peninsular, very ignorant. As if Malaysia is only consisted of Malay, Chinese and Indian that live in West Malaysia. What about other ethnics and races in both Sarawak and Sabah, are we not part of the so-called ‘multiracial country’ too? Sometimes it makes us wonder why did Sarawak join Malaysia in the first place, are we really THAT significant? I have asked many young people of my age, in fact each of my Sarawakian friends think “It’s useless for Sarawak to be part of Malaysia now because people from the other side do not recognize us and they are more developed because they have sucked up all the wealth from our state, living us left far behind in many aspects! They even think we still live on trees! Not fair!”
When I reflected on the matter, I started to feel worry for certain thing. I wonder what will happen to us and our state’s political scene in the future, especially when one day the country and the state are going to be governed by people of my generation. Is it going to be stable, or is it going to get ugly? I do not know, only time can tell. There is even talk among us that it would not be surprising IF one day Sarawakians are going to demand for an ‘independent country’! They said, “If small countries such as Brunei and Singapore can survice it, why can’t we? We have more resources.”
This might sound like a ‘kopi-tiam talk’, but it cannot be taken for granted. I think nowadays we are not merely dealing with racism issues, but also ‘semangat kewilayahan’ as mentioned by one of my friends. Should we blame it on our education system or the country’s politics? Rather than looking for a scapegoat, I guess it is better we work on a solution. This is something for our current leaders to ponder upon. Whatever they are doing now will affect they way we live in the future.

Racial bias or discrimination is everywhere in this world.It is human nature. Whether an ethnic group can progress or develop depends on themselves. It is never too late to learn from each other. You have to fight for your own right and work hard to be economically independent. If certain minority is racist or culturally arrogant, we don’t have to behave like them because we have our own value and principle.
You have a good education, teach your people to be self reliant and keep an open mind. Then you can progress and be ahead of others.

Thank you Juan,Phil,Danil2,Hiro,Chan and Angel for your comments. This subject matter is highly debatable everyway.
We try to keep it under leash most of the time but it does get too much sometimes..Anyway once again.thanks

The people’s interest comes first and that is what they need to do to be retained as elected representatives in the coming terms.

U see even the elcted representatives takes the oppurtunity to use “Racist remarks”. I do know a lot of them really use it to win over their voters in their kawasan. Nothing can stop them from inciting the people just to be elected..

The only way to go about this subject is to change the minds and educate more “Engagement in the very first instance when someone has a hint or even starts a racial slur of any magnitude. We as Malaysians needs to be living harmoniously as we are muti-ethnic and multi cultural and multi religion. Ugly Head “Racism” In Europe the football clubs are doing it. Why can’t we?

Phil’s comment posted on May 18th is absolutely captivating…a MUST READ one for Sabah and Sarawak’s present and wannabes politicians! KETUANAN MALAYA is a tragic impediment towards the creation of an equal Malaysian Federation…in the hearts of Borneo Malaysians!